A Time For Peace
by a novelist
Summary: Sequel to A Time For Hope. After Tori's unexpected death, Beck takes Gabriella in, much to Jade's displeasure. Immediately, tempers flare as the family struggles to become one again. Can they find peace through it all?


He was standing on the wrong side of a closed door.

He had stood on that very doorstep so many times before. Now, on the first day of winter, as Beck stood in front of his ex-wife's apartment, memories flooded his mind.

He remembered the stolen kisses he had taken after a late night date with Tori before their marriage.

He remembered standing on the snow-covered porch, waiting for a locksmith and shivering as she pulled his coat tighter around her thin frame. He remembered the warmth of her beautiful smile that afternoon, and how right then, whatever irritation he had felt at their given situation, it suddenly disappeared.

He remembered stepping through the door with his beaming new bride, and only nine months later, doing the same with their beautiful newborn daughter.

And still, he remembered the first evening he spent on the porch, just outside that same door after returning home to his wife, the smell of alcohol and women's perfume still clinging to his clothes. It was the night he told Tori of his long-term affair with Jade. Even now, years later, he remembered that night's events vividly. Certainly, it was not a night he wished to endure again.

Now, three years later, he found himself standing, once again, before the one door separating him from a sea of memories. A small stack of broken down boxes leaned up against the doorframe. He inhaled deeply as he eyed the door in uncertainty. "Do we really have to do this?"

Beside him, Gabriella tightened her grip on her father's hand. She looked up at him with anxious eyes. "My doll is in there," she answered simply. "Cora. We can't leave her behind. She might get scared."

He sighed, scooping the small child up into his arms. He brushed his lips across her forehead. "I'll buy you a new doll. A _better_ doll, even. How does that sound?"

He expected an immediate answer. He expected her to readily accept his offer, and maybe even crack a smile – something he seldom saw her do since her mother's passing. Instead, she frowned, and her face even fell a bit. "Mommy gave her to me," she whispered.

And right then, he knew what he had to do.

Without another moment's hesitation, he reached into his pocket and removed the spare key Andre had given him. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, taking the cardboard boxes with him.

He felt like a stranger - a foreigner, even, just passing through an entirely unfamiliar piece of land. Nothing about being in the apartment just then felt right, but he had known for two weeks that someone would have to retrieve Gabriella's belongings. He had put it off long enough.

Gabriella squirmed in his arms. He set her back on the ground and immediately, she disappeared down the narrow hallway and into her room.

Beck wandered into the kitchen. Graded assignments and carefully drawn, very colorful pictures that only a parent would appreciate lay scattered across the counter. A neat stack of unpaid bills sat beside a corded phone in the middle of the mess. A lone red light on the attached answering machine blinked consistently every few seconds, announcing an unheard message. For a moment his finger hovered over the Play button, but he pulled it away last minute, knowing that his rights, since the divorce, had become quite limited.

He suddenly heard a door close quietly. A moment later, Gabriella reappeared, hugging her vinyl doll close. She had dressed it in a baby pink dress. The doll's coal black hair fell at her shoulders in large curls, offsetting a pair of bright blue eyes. Because of the way the delicate doll had been designed, it was hardly intended for child's play. Gabriella loved it, nonetheless.

"I'm ready, Daddy."

Beck smiled softly. "Not quite." He sighed, kneeling down so he was eyelevel with his daughter. "Sweetheart, we need to get _everything_ out of your room. We aren't coming back here, remember?"

She nodded solemnly.

He stood, holding the boxes beneath his arm and offering his hand to her. She hesitated a moment, then took it. He smiled reassuringly. "We'll make it quick, okay?"

"'Kay."

_Quick_ was an understatement. A few moments later, Beck stood in the doorway of his daughter's bedroom, which he could have sworn was a department store in itself. Shelves lined an entire wall of the bedroom, stocked entirely with very thin books held up by colorful bookends.

On the opposite wall was a loft bed with a tall drawer and a desk beneath it. On top of the pink comforter lay several stuffed animals. Gabriella's baby blanket lay folded at the foot of the neatly made bed, untouched.

A pink computer chair that had been extended to its full height was pulled up close to the desk. A great assortment of art supplies were arranged neatly on the desk: a box of crayons, sharp colored pencils, tubes of different colored paint, paintbrushes, and construction paper had been arranged on one side of the desk.

Dolls of all shapes and sizes lined the windowsill, and a giant pink Teddy bear with a large matching bow sat on the window seat, surrounded by pink and white pillows. A toy box with her name painted on it sat open in a corner of the room, crammed full of even more toys, some of them clearly brand new.

And her closet…well, that was another story.

Beck shook his head in disbelief. "Unbelievable," he muttered. He ran a hand through his hair. "I see now why you preferred to stay here instead of with me. Is there anything your mother didn't buy you?"

Gabriella smiled softly, but didn't respond. Again, she took his hand gently and looked up at him with anxious eyes. "Daddy, are you going to help me pack?"

He scanned the room again, then glanced down at the cardboard boxes he had brought with him. He stared at them long and hard, trying to decide how much of her belongings would fit into each of them.

Gabriella tugged lightly at the hem of his black button-down shirt. "Daddy?"

He looked down at her and into her dark eyes. "We're going to need more boxes."

* * *

It took the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening, but finally, the last of Gabriella's belongings were moved into her bedroom at her father's house. Because she had insisted on keeping her loft bed and desk, the furniture that had already been set up in her bedroom at Beck's house was taken down and posted online for sale. Then, after sending Gabriella downstairs to play with her brother, Beck and Jade set to work reassembling the bed.

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Jade muttered. She took a seat on the floor beside her husband. "I mean, she's not _my_ kid. Why should I be stuck putting her crap together?"

"She's ours now." He extended his hand. "Screwdriver."

She sighed as she dug through Beck's toolbox. "She's not _ours_. She'll never be _ours,_ just _yours._" She handed him the screwdriver. He turned back to the bed, but not before glaring in her direction.

"You knew three years ago when we started seeing each other again that as long as I'm in your life, Gabby will be in your life." He finished what he was doing, then grunted as he pulled himself up to a sitting position. He met her eyes evenly. "I don't care how much you hated Tori or how much you claim to hate kids, if you can't bring yourself to treat Gabby as your own, then this marriage isn't going to work. We need to establish that right now."

Angrily, she stood. She placed her hands firmly on her hips. "So, what, you would leave me for a five year old? Return to life as a single father just because your little girl doesn't live the spoiled lifestyle she obviously lived over there?"

He threw down the screwdriver and pushed himself to his feet. "You don't get it," he muttered. "God, Jade, she just lost her mother. Can you not at least muster up a little sympathy for her?"

"I'm supposed to feel sorry for her because her mother can't keep her car on the road?"

Angrily, Beck ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not doing this anymore." He walked away from her.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Where are you going?"

"I'm not sure." He yanked open the bedroom door. "Away from here." He strode out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He quickly went down the two flights of stairs leading to the basement, snatching his coat off of the coat hanger on his way down. He swung open the door. His eyes instantly fell on his children.

Trey and Gabriella were sitting on the wood floor, their legs crossed and their heads bent low as they played a board game. Gabriella leaned over and whispered something into Trey's ear, and a moment later, their warm laughter filled the air. Beck smiled softly at the sight. He almost hated to break up the scene, but finally, he cleared his throat. "Gabby? Trey? You need to get your shoes on. Trey, I'll tie yours in a minute. I need to go pack an overnight bag for all of us."

Trey nodded, wordlessly dropping the dice he held in his hand and reaching for his shoes. Gabriella followed suit, but paused and looked up at Beck. "Daddy, where are we going?"

He sighed, running a hand wearily through his hair. "I'm not sure yet," he muttered. "Probably to Grandma Vega's house."

Gabriella's eyes lit up. "Oooh, Grandma said the next time we visit we can make cookies. Can we make cookies while we're there, Daddy?"

Beck smiled sympathetically. "Probably not tonight, sweetheart. It's already late as it is. Maybe tomorrow, though." He sighed. "I'll be right back. Gabby, will you please help your brother with his shoes?"

"'Kay!"

Beck quickly disappeared upstairs. He went into Trey's room, digging through his dresser and pulling out pajamas and outfits for the next few days. He quickly crammed them into a duffle bag and slammed the drawers closed. He started for Gabriella's room, but a cold voice stopped him still.

"You're being ridiculous."

He turned to face his wife. He was immediately greeted by her angry blue eyes. He frowned. "I already said I'm not dealing with this tonight." He lightly pushed past her and entered Gabriella's room, flipping on the light.

She scoffed, following him. "So, what, Tori dies and suddenly I'm not good enough for your daughter?"

"No, I never said that." He pulled several dresses off of the hangers and added them to the heaping collection of clothes in the bag. "But you can't even _pretend_ to _like_ Gabby, let alone ever learn to treat her as a daughter."

"Name one time I've mistreated your daughter."

Beck scoffed. "At the park when you decided it was okay to send a _two year old_ off on a hike by herself."

She shifted uncomfortably, but said nothing.

"At the zoo when you blatantly asked that I shut my child up before you did it for me." He stepped closer to her, his eyes blazing. "And let's not forget your gruesome little discussion about life and death mere hours after Gabby even realized that her mother wasn't coming back to be with her."

She shrugged, purposely avoiding his gaze as she muttered, "She's got to learn sometime. I was only trying to help."

"But you didn't." He sighed heavily. "She needs a mother figure in her life, and if you can't be that person, then – then this isn't going to work. There's nothing more to discuss."

Silence fell heavily in the room. Jade wrapped her bare arms around herself tightly. She pursed her lips then finally said, "Fine. Fine by me. Take Gabriella. Take Trey, even, for all I care. But if you walk out that door, you're crazy if you think you're getting back in." She turned on her heels. "Make sure you take your crap with you." She stormed down the hall, disappearing into the kitchen.

He waited until the sound of her footsteps faded away before ducking into their bedroom and quickly gathering his clothes. Knowing that Jade was not one to make idle threats, he dug through his drawer, removing several of his valuables – an antique watch that had been passed down in his family for generations, silver coins that had been buried beneath his undergarments and long forgotten –

Engagement and wedding rings, still encased in their blue velvet boxes after being returned by his first wife. His heart ached at the sight of them as he realized how close he was to ending a second marriage. _If I walk out that door…_

"Daddy?"

Startled, he turned quickly and found himself facing Gabriella and Trey. Both young children stared back at him with anxious eyes. Gabriella tightly clutched Cora to her chest as she stepped closer to her father. "Daddy, why were you and Jade yelling?"

He sighed. "Because we were angry. Sometimes grownups yell at each other when they're angry."

"Like you and Mommy?"

He grimaced at his daughter's observation. "Yeah. Like me and Mommy." He knelt down beside his children. He gently caressed Gabriella's cheek, brushing a lock of dark hair from her eyes. "Everything will be okay, sweetheart. I promise." He managed a weak smile. "Are you ready to go?"

But Gabriella clearly wasn't leaving. Her dark eyes once again met his evenly. Her beautiful smile was gone, now replaced by a deep frown. Her voice shook when she spoke as she fought back tears. "Daddy, you promised this wouldn't happen again. You promised you wouldn't leave."

"I'm not leaving you. I'm taking you with me."

"But you're leaving Mamma."

"She's _not_ your mother, Gabriella. You know that."

"But _you're still leaving her._" Angry tears fell from the child's eyes. "Daddy, _you promised._"

"I did." He shook his head slowly. "But so much has changed over the past few years. No one expected your mother to die so soon, and Jade…she was thrown into this. She never expected to take you in as her own, and, sweetheart – " he broke off with a sigh. "There is still so much that you're too young to understand now, but you've got to believe me when I say that taking you with me right now, no matter how difficult it may be for both of us, will be best for everyone." He kissed her softly, then stood, extending his hand to her. "Do you trust me?"

Her gaze fell from his eyes to his outstretched hand. She eyed it in uncertainty.

Beck's heart pounded in his chest. He subconsciously held his breath, praying she would change her mind, praying she would leave with him, praying she would trust him.

She finally met his eyes again. He exhaled in relief when he found the anger gone from her eyes, now replaced with the familiar, loving eyes he knew and loved. Her mother's eyes.

Then, she reached for his hand.

* * *

Holly Vega was waiting at the door when they arrived twenty minutes later.

It had only been a few weeks since Beck had last seen Tori's mother, yet the older woman looked as though she had aged nearly twenty years already. His heart broke for her as he realized the pure hell she had to be living in. He suddenly remembered how he had felt in the emergency room, anxiously waiting for news as the doctors frantically tried to save his own daughter. He remembered the terror he had felt, not knowing if he would ever hold his baby girl in his arms again. He remembered the pain, the worry, the sorrow. He remembered it all.

But he took one good look at Holly and realized that sometimes, knowing was not always better.

Somehow, she managed a genuine smile when she saw them. Gabriella excitedly jumped into Holly's arms. She immediately asked again if they could make cookies, but Beck's answer did not change. Gabriella frowned in response. Holly carried her pouting granddaughter to the living room and the others followed close behind.

The first thing the children saw was a pile of gleaming new toys. Eyes wide, Gabriella and Trey instantly bolted toward the pile. Immediately, they began sorting through the pile, determining which toy went with which child. After several moments, the two parted, taking their gifts to opposite sides of the room to play.

Beck smiled softly. "You didn't have to do all of this," he said.

Holly shrugged. "What good is it to have grandchildren if you can't spoil them?" She took a seat in the chair across from Beck. "Besides, they need a distraction, especially now. I remember how distraught Gabby was after you and Tori went your separate ways. I would hate to see any child go through that again."

Beck grimaced. "Don't remind me," he muttered. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I only hope it doesn't come to that now. Do you have any idea what it feels like to be twenty-five and working on a second failed marriage?"

She sighed. "Marriage isn't easy, sweetheart, and throwing kids into the mix...well, as wonderful as they are, they can really add stress to a relationship. You jumped into it all too soon. Everyone told you and Tori that before you got married."

He shook his head. "It was going so well," he mumbled. He ran his fingers through his hair. "For the longest time, Tori and I were happy. We had Gabby, we had each other, and - and that's all that seemed to matter. But then I went to one class reunion alone and everything went to hell." He sighed. "It kills me when I think about what could have been, had we worked on our marriage more." His gaze fell to his hands in his lap. "It's sad to think about, really."

"Don't dwell on the past. You can only focus on the future." Holly moved from her chair to the couch. She took a seat beside Beck. She rested her hand comfortingly on his own. "Right now, you need to think about your children. You need to put them first because this affects them, too. You need to decide what's best for them, no matter what that may mean."

Beck gave her a weak smile. "I know."

* * *

Two weeks later, Beck was served divorce papers.

By this point, having been locked out of his own home, Beck had moved with the children from their grandparents' house to a nearby hotel. While he was certainly less than thrilled about the cramped living conditions, the children were in Heaven: endless room service, a crystal clear pool, and a large Jacuzzi tub in their bathroom was more than enough to distract them, leaving them oblivious of the reality of their situation – and for that, Beck was grateful.

A few days after he received the divorce papers, he spent an entire evening on the telephone, trying to reach the attorney he had worked with years ago. He sat at the provided desk in a corner of the room, pen in hand, empty sheet of paper in front of him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly. Instrumental music played in his ear as he waited for his lawyer to come to the phone.

Meanwhile, Gabriella and Trey sat on the bed they shared, their eyes glued to the television as they watched cartoon reruns. Gabriella didn't even break her gaze from the show when she asked, "Daddy?"

He sighed, glancing over at her. "Yeah, baby?"

"Is dinner coming soon? I'm hungry."

Before Beck could respond, someone knocked on the door. "Finally," Beck muttered. Cradling the phone between his ear and his shoulder, he started for the door, digging in his pocket for his wallet. With his free hand, he opened the door – then stopped still, taken aback by the person standing before him.

It was Andre.

Beck wanted to walk away. He wanted to slam the door and lock it, separating himself from his former best friend, the one who had wandered to places no true friend should ever go. And had it not been for his children sitting on the other side of the room, Beck wouldn't have thought twice of acting on his desires.

But he didn't. Instead, he ended his call with his attorney, then grudgingly stepped aside, letting the other man into the room. He quietly closed the door behind him.

Andre cleared his throat. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here."

Beck smirked. "The question crossed my mind, yes." He crossed his arms, meeting Andre's eyes evenly. "What's going on?"

Andre shoved his hands into his pockets uncomfortably. He took a deep breath before answering, "You've got to go back home. You need to work out whatever issues you're having with Jade because trust me, you're going to regret putting your children through a divorce again."

Beck rolled his eyes. "Right. Because you know _so much_ about failed marriages, don't you?" He reached for the door handle. "Thanks for your input. Now, if you don't mind, I was kind of in the middle of something, and you're wasting my time."

Andre glared. "Look. I know we've both screwed up a lot over the past several years, and I know you hate me. I get that, and you're entirely justified for it. But I know what that divorce did to Gabby. You didn't see what I did since you only had her on weekends, but that divorce…it changed her entirely. She was only two but she acted like a teenager, almost. She was forced to grow up so much faster than she should have because of everything that you two exposed her to during the divorce."

Beck's temper flared. "You have no right – "

"But _I do._ I love that little girl like she's my own, and I pray to God that she doesn't get hurt like that again. She doesn't deserve it. No child does. They don't deserve go through the hell of a divorce. Now, do you really want that for Trey, too? Do you really want to put your daughter through that again?"

"Of course not, but returning Gabby to that house while Jade is still living there will be hell for her, pure hell. What do you expect me to do?"

"There's only one thing you _can_ do." Andre started for the door, but paused as soon as his hand reached the door handle. For the last time, he turned back to his former best friend, meeting his eyes steadily. "Make peace."

* * *

He was standing on the wrong side of a closed door.

It was a cold evening – the coldest Los Angeles had seen in weeks – yet at that moment, Beck couldn't care less. He pulled the collar of his coat up around his neck, shivering in the frigid wind. He had bought a single white rose on the way to the house. He clutched it tightly in his left hand, his heart racing as he anxiously waited for someone to answer the door.

Beside him, someone slipped their hand into his. He looked down and into the loving eyes of his daughter. Her pale cheeks were flushed from the cold. She tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear, then asked, "Daddy? Daddy, what are we doing?"

"Making things right again."

Suddenly, the door opened, and he found himself facing his wife for the first time in weeks.

He knew from the way that she was dressed that he had gotten her out of bed. She wore a black robe over her sweats and white tank top. A dark colored pair of slippers covered her feet. A thin strand of hair fell from her sloppy ponytail and into her eyes, but she didn't bother brushing it away. She was glaring at him.

Even then, she looked beautiful.

She angrily crossed her arms, clearly exposing her newly bare ring finger. Her icy blue eyes met his evenly. "What do you want?"

Again, his grip on the rose tightened. He took a deep breath. "I'm here to apologize," he began. "And…and I'm here to talk."

"Fine." She shrugged. "What do you want to talk about?"

He briefly looked down at Gabriella and Trey before returning his gaze to Jade. He replied, "I'd like to speak with you in private, if that's all right with you." He hesitated a moment, then offered her the rose.

Silence fell between them. She eyed the rose, her expression entirely blank. His heart pounded in his chest painfully as he nervously waited, praying she would take his peace offering.

Nearly a full minute passed by. He was about to walk away, to admit defeat, sign the papers and be done with it all within a matter of months. But suddenly, she took the rose from his hand and met his eyes again. She smiled softly, then stepped aside, letting him in.

And at that moment, he knew that somehow, everything truly would be all right after all.

* * *

This was one of those stories that was going to bother me and bother and bother me until I finally got it written and posted, so of course, I had to get it written and posted so I could finally get on with my life :) Hope you all enjoyed! And unless someone has a specific request for a continuation of this series, as of now, this is the last story in the series. I'm not much of a Bade fan.

Til next time...

- a novelist


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